Friends, Foes and a new Avatar
by TheRealSokka
Summary: When the old Avatar's friends and family hear about the young girl that is his successor, Korra, they don't know what to feel. Nonetheless they gather in the South to meet her, only to realize she is not what they expected, for better or for worse. There is little time for new bonds, as others have heard the news as well: The young Avatar is already in the sight of the Red Lotus
1. Meeting

**Meeting**

* * *

The small merchant ship was just a speck on the horizon, carefully navigating through the icebergs that dotted the southern waters. Most of the people crowding the harbor didn't even notice it, and the ones who did didn't spare it a second glance.

A few decades ago, a foreign ship of any size approaching the village would have been big news; people would rush to shore to see if it was really going to dock, and the village would talk about the event for days after the ship had left again. But that was back when the village actually deserved that term, consisting only of a dozen huts and located so remotely away from anything of importance that most people outside didn't even know it existed. And until the end of the war, this had undoubtedly been for the best. Since then, entire blocks of icy buildings had risen up at the shoreline, an imposing wall had been raised around the perimeter, and the port was crowded with ships from all over the world, coming to sell their wares, haggle with the locals for their surprisingly vast collection of resources, or simply to get a look at this famed faraway place that everyone who had been there went into raptures over. The insignificant village on the edge of the world had developed into a sparkling city, on par with any port in the earth kingdom and surpassing most.

On the central pier, amidst the buzzing crowd of sailors, merchants and tourists, stood two solemn figures. Much like the ship, nobody paid them any mind: They wore the traditional water tribe coats, with their hoods firmly pulled up against the strong winds; the standard (and reasonable) attire for the South's early summer. The only thing that might have warranted a second look and set them apart from the rest was the fact that they were not paying the hustle and bustle around them any mind; their eyes were fixed on the distant horizon. The ones who examined them more closely would notice the approaching ship as well, which was now passing the harbor gates, and they would shrug and go back to their own business. _Locals, no doubt, awaiting the arrival of some friends or relatives. Hey, look at that, that stall has exactly the handbag my wife would like…_

The two were glad for the anonymity the crowd offered. It would be vital for this meeting. The man they were going to meet had been very cautious to keep his trip secret; he had assured them that only his most trusted advisors knew of it, and even they didn't know the reason.

The metal hulk scraped against the pier as the machines came to a stop. The older of the two kept looking over his shoulder, scanning the crowd for anyone who looked like he was too interested in the ship's arrival. Paranoid? Maybe, but it was better to be too vigilant than too little.

The doors of the ship opened and the passengers streamed out. Most of them hurried past the two, eager to get out of the cold wind. As one of the last, a tall man emerged from the hold, his face partly hidden beneath a large hood. He was gaunt and grey haired, his left hand was holding a cane. All in all, he looked like any other frail old man visiting friends or grandchildren in the south. Only the concealed, but still noticeable strength in his stride belied that appearance.

The man stopped before the pair and bowed slightly, the hood covering most of his face. The two returned the gesture and unceremoniously led him away from the pier, into a nearby alley and out of sight of the crowd.

There, the woman turned towards him and embraced him, dropping the air of nonchalance that they had performed up to this point. Her brother, too, let out a relieved sigh and finally stopped looking over his shoulder. He allowed himself a hopeful smile:

"So far so good".

Warm golden eyes looked out from beneath the hood as the Fire Lord returned the Waterbender's embrace. When she let him go he barely had a second to breathe before he was trapped in a second bone-crushing hug from the chief. Not that he minded. It had been some time since their last meeting, and he had no shame admitting that he missed them. A smile grazed his wrinkled features, but it was undercut by worry.

"It's good to see you again. But what is going on? Would you tell me what all this secrecy is about?"

Katara gave him an apologetic smile: "We really didn't want to make it this complicated, believe me, but we didn't have much choice. Sorry that I had to be so vague…"

Zuko chuckled. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. I suddenly get a letter to come to the South Pole, no reason given, not even a sender, just a note that I should keep it secret." He grimaced. "Really though? You couldn't drop some other hint that it's from you than that stupid nickname?"

"I never got why you don't like it, it's only appropriate for you."

The Firelord turned to Sokka with a frown: "You should know that my granddaughter got her hand on that letter first. And she promptly told her brother about it. They will tease me with that for the rest of my life!"

The chief snorted: "Come on, when you get to be our age, there's not much dignity left to loose, is there? You'll survive."

"Hmphh. I really hope that his trip is worth it, otherwise I might never forgive you."

"Trust me Zuko, it is." Katara interrupted. The joy at seeing her friend was suddenly replaced by wariness. "You'll understand why we had to be so secretive in a moment." Her voice became a whisper and Sokka started looking around, checking for listeners.

Zuko raised his eyebrows in slight amusement, but his grin faltered when he saw Sokka's suddenly serious expression. They weren't joking. Katara locked eyes with him. She seemed to struggle for a moment.

"We have found the Avatar." she simply stated. There was no way to break this news any gentler.

The firebender's eyes widened. That was the last thing he had expected. He coughed: "Wha-?" He looked back and forth between the two incredulously. "Are- are you serious?"

Both nodded.

Zuko rubbed his temple to keep his head from spinning; he would have preferred to sit when he got news like that. "Ok, _now_ I understand. Who? Where?"

"A girl; she lives with her family south side of the town. Look, I understand this is a little sudden, but we shouldn't be discussing this right here, people might notice." He indicated the other end of the alley, which led away from the harbor: "If you don't object, we wanted to pay them a visit. We can talk on the way."

Zuko saw the sense in that and nodded, still dazed. The siblings exchanged a confirming glance. Katara took the lead, walking away from the crowds at a quick pace, and the two men followed her.

They were taking the backstreets, which were almost completely empty at this hour, now that everyone was at the harbor. The firebender was grateful for it, as he was burning with questions and had to restrain himself from blurting them all out. When he was sure that no one could overhear them, he turned to Sokka walking beside him and started with the most pressing one: "How can you be sure it's her? How did you find out?"

Sokka answered in a low voice: "Her father came to me a few weeks back and asked me a favor. He is one of my chairmen, and we know each other well; so he said he trusted me to keep this secret. I didn't believe him at first, but he assured me that she could bend multiple elements already." He stopped when a man turned a corner in front of them and walked past, whistling. Zuko quickly pulled his hood down to cover his scar. Sokka's eyes followed the man until he was out of earshot before he continued: "Hence he wanted me to contact the White Lotus, since he wasn't sure how to deal with this Avatar stuff." Sokka rubbed his head: "You know we had to see her for ourselves after that. The new Avatar! I mean…" he bit his lip and looked at his sister, who had fallen back to them. "We had to see her." he finished.

Zuko nodded: "Of course." He hesitated to ask the next question: "And- what is she like?"

A sad smile played around Katara's lips: "Short, chubby, and every inch confidence. You wouldn't believe she's only four years old."

"I know I didn't when I saw her. She has quite the attitude. It's so not like… like what I expected." Sokka caught himself, glancing at his sister. Katara cast down her eyes and seemed to struggle with a lump in her throat. Zuko wanted to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but found that he didn't know anything to say. Even her brother was unusually quiet.

"So", the Fire Lord finally broke the silence, "we are on our way there now? I would really like to meet her."

Sokka took the question like a lifebelt: "Ahem, well, that was the plan. They live quite a way from the city though, so the girl might be in bed by the time we get there."

"If that's the case, I'm sure Senna won't deny the Fire Lord a roof to sleep under for the night. You know how she is. That might be our best option anyway if we want to keep your visit secret."

The old firebender studied her for a moment. "What exactly are we protecting her from?" he asked slowly. "It's not just the attention, is it?"

The siblings exchanged a glance. Katara sighed: "I don't know. Call me overprotective, but I have a feeling like the less people know of her, the better."

Her brother jumped to her aid: "Well, think about it, some people might like to influence a new Avatar early on, and we wouldn't be able to keep her sheltered for long once her identity is public." He frowned: "And there's always the chance that some lunatic blames her for things Aang has done. He hasn't made only friends, you know."

Zuko ground his teeth. "No, that's true. But he has us." He thought for a moment and nodded: "And I think he would want us to keep the attention away from her, like you said. No one should have that pressure at twelve years, much less four."

"Exactly, that's the last thing he would want." Katara agreed firmly. Then a thought seemed to occur to her and she grimaced: "But I think you will find that _she_ doesn't see it that way. She actually _wants_ to be the Avatar."

"What makes you think that?"

Sokka chuckled: "She told us. Very directly and without much room for arguing. I doubt she knows what that even means, but she is quite headstrong, so…" He shrugged.

Zuko raised an eyebrow: "She sounds more interesting by the minute." He took note that they were approaching the larger streets that led out of the city, where they would have to interrupt their conversation. But at this point, he was mostly curious to see this girl for himself. He gave the two a nod: "Well then, lead the way."

* * *

Their sledge glided through the snowy emptiness that was the South Pole at brash speed, as it had done for the past half hour, but their destination was yet nowhere in sight. Sokka had not been kidding when he said the family lived quite far away from the city. The Fire Lord shivered as he sat on the backbench; he had been cold before and this snowstorm only made it worse. He pulled his hood further down against the wind; not that it made much difference. He hated the weather in the South with a passion, a feeling that seemed to grow exponentially with his years, as his chilly bones were keen to remind him. This was ridiculous; he was a firebender; he shouldn't have been chilly, but this place always managed it somehow.

Finally, their sledge stopped beside a large hut in the middle of nowhere. The Fire Lord eyed it critically. At least it wasn't an igloo, thank the spirits, but it still didn't look like it could keep the chill out. He shivered. Why someone would choose to live so secluded in this waste was beyond him.

The siblings didn't seem at all fazed by the cold as they hopped off the bench and knocked on the door. They didn't have to wait long before the door was opened and a man poked his head out. He looked quite young (then again, that was always a relative statement, coming from an old man). The man had to squint against the snow to make out who was standing outside. Once he did, a smile lit up his face and he exchanged a handshake with the chief before gesturing them to come in. Zuko was pleasantly surprised: Somehow, the house was actually quite comfortable; as in reasonably warm.

Sokka was already in a conversation with the owner: "…really sorry for the short term warning, but we didn't know how well this would go. I'm guessing we missed your daughter, didn't we?" The man chuckled and gave a confirming nod.

Zuko measured him carefully. _So this is the father of the Avatar_ … The man looked rather ordinary: He was about as tall as him, had short black hair; braided, of course, and he wore the typical blue robes of the Water Tribe. His cheeks showed lots of little laughter-lines and his eyes were of a deep blue, similar to Katara's. Right now, they were fixed on the firebender, eying him curiously.

"Anyway, here he is now." Sokka continued and extended his arms towards Zuko; in this way that he had that seemed to point out a particularly odd curiosity. Zuko turned his attention away from the father and sent an inquisitive stare his way, as if to ask, _What have you been telling them about me, exactly?_ He already dreaded his reputation with these people, if all they knew of him they had heard from Sokka.

His suspicion turned out to be unfounded. The man smiled and bowed deeply before him: "Fire Lord Zuko, I am truly honored by your visit." he said, rather formally.

The old firebender bowed back: "An honor to meet you too." He extended his hand: "But please just call me Zuko, technically I'm 'Fire Lord in retirement' now". To be honest, he was very glad he was rid of that title, even though people apparently still felt the need to address him by it.

-The man gave him a surprised look and hesitated for a few seconds, before taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. Zuko tried his best not to wince; the man had a strong grip. _You're getting old_ , he thought, not for the first time. The Water Tribesman gave him an appreciative nod, and there was a new kind of respect in his eyes. "I'm Tonraq", he introduced himself, this time without bowing. A frown passed across his face. "And please don't call me 'father of the Avatar', like those White Lotus oafs. It gets annoying, and my daughter has developed quite the attitude since she heard it."

"Deal."

"Great. Can I maybe get you to drop the 'master' too now, while you're at it?"

Tonraq smiled: "I'm afraid not, Master Katara."

That earned him a rolling of the eyes. "I don't know what I have to do to stop this guy from calling me that." she complained to Zuko.

"Not being an amazing waterbender would be a good start…ouch!" Sokka rubbed his shoulder. "That was supposed to be a compliment!"

"Idiots", Katara mumbled. " _Anyway_ , as you might have guessed, Zuko here can't wait to meet your daughter. Is it okay if he stays for the night?"

"Any friend of yours is always welcome, you know that. And I'm sure we'll find a spare room for you somewhere." His eyes narrowed: "Else I'll kick some of those oafs out to _make_ room, if it comes to that."

Zuko decided not to inquire who 'those oafs' were. "That's very kind of you. Meeting the Avatar is a great honor."

"And since we have dropped the titles anyway, I must warn you: _Please_ , don't call her the Avatar if you can avoid it. She likes that way too much, and I'm afraid she has been bossing everyone around quite a bit since that started."

"Not that she needed much encouragement!", an annoyed voice came from the next room, making everyone turn their heads. The person it belonged to, a comely woman in her early twenties came into view. There was a small book in her hands, and a thoroughly irritated expression on her face: "Now she insists that my bedtime stories are, and I quote, 'not worthy of an Avatar'! Can you believe that?! I..." She stopped short when she noticed the Fire Lord, and put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, who in the world are you now?"

Zuko blinked a few times. It was rare that someone didn't recognize him. His scar was usually a dead giveaway. Then again, he had to admit that he didn't look very regal in his old traveler's clothes, and the idea of the Fire Lord suddenly appearing in a small hut in the South Pole had to seem pretty ludicrous from her perspective.

Tonraq rubbed his head. "Uhm, Sweetie, that's the Fire- I mean, _retired_ Fire Lord, Zuko." he explained, a little embarrassed.

The woman seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment and just stared at the two of them. Then she suddenly bowed deeply. "F-Fire Lord, it's- welcome to- it's an _honor_ to have you...", she stammered.

Sokka, helpful as ever, interrupted: "Yep, that's him alright. And I'm sure he will be pretty hungry after such a long trip. I know I am", he winked at her.

"Um, yes, yes of course!", the woman muttered, still in a daze. Sokka put an arm around her and gently moved her out of the room. On the way, he caught a thankful nod from Tonraq.

He turned back to Zuko. "Apologies", he sighed. "That's my wife, Senna. And she is normally not like that, it's just..." he rubbed his head again, "it has been a stressful few weeks".

"How so?"

"The White Lotus company arrived about a few weeks ago, which I suppose was what I asked for." Now he looked just as irritated as his wife. "And since then they haven't stopped coming. Every few days some new ones come and want to see my daughter. I'm beginning to think the only reason that some of them leave again is that this house can't hold them all", he grumbled.

"Well, protecting and teaching the Avatar is kind of their job." Katara jumped in in their defense. "We can't fault them for being curious."

"I suppose not", Tonraq sighed. "But that's just the problem: It wouldn't be so bad if I was confident that they know what they are doing. But sometimes they seem to be just as clueless about all of this as I am. One of them insisted that the ability to bend multiple elements doesn't come before the eighth year and that we were making this up, to which my daughter responded by singing his eyebrows off. Which promptly led to them sitting her down for a talk about restraint and 'Avatarly' behavior." He shook his head: "If you have known Korra for more than five minutes, you know that that doesn't work."

"She- ahem- sounds like a pretty wild child, if I may say so."

-"You may, because that's how it is. And that's what these oafs don't get into their heads. It seems to me like they are trying to press her into some image of how an Avatar should be." He chuckled suddenly. "The thing is that with that approach they are running against a brick wall with Korra. She has her ways of telling them off, let me tell you. It's rather amusing to watch, really."

"I've already told them to lay off on her for a while." Katara assured them. "It's just that when they look at her, they see the Avatar and forget that she is a child also. They don't mean ill."

Tonraq shrugged. "I suppose it's my fault for calling them this early. I didn't think they would want to start teaching her about the Avatar already; I just wanted them to help her control her bending a little more. Korra can use earth and fire quite well, but she tends to forget how strong she is sometimes, so..." He pointed to the ceiling, which looked rather new: "Let's just say, the carpenter has been here a lot lately."

Zuko was beginning to like the man. He thought for a moment and stroked his beard. "I don't know about the earthbending, but I could start advising her in my element, if you don't object. I've learned about calm firebending from a master, I think I could impart some of that to her." He noticed Katara grinning, as if she had expected him to say that, but there was a wicked glint in that grin that made him think he might have made a mistake.

"You would do that?" Tonraq asked surprised. "I thought you had a lot of other- well, responsibilities?"

"Nothing like this", he chuckled, ignoring his friend's glee. "I've taught one Avatar already, I would love to do it a second time. If you don't object", he added.

"Why would I object to that?" Tonraq asked. "I know your reputation, I couldn't ask for a better teacher. Thank you…Zuko" He paused and shook his head in amazement: "The Fire Lord teaches my daughter. If someone had told me that this morning, I would have advised him to drink less cactus juice."

Katara laughed suddenly and gave the Fire Lord a nudge: "Now we only need to get Toph to come too, and we'll have the whole master-team back together! Imagine all of us training her …"

Zuko smiled at the outburst. "The world wouldn't know what hit it", he chuckled. "But I think Toph's teaching methods would traumatize the girl a little, don't you think?"

That caused Katara to snort with laughter: "I'm not so sure the girl would be the one traumatized, if you ask me. I'd say those two would fit pretty well together, especially since I've heard rumors that Toph has gotten a lot less cranky lately."

"Yeah, sure, I'll believe that when I see it."

Tonraq had followed the exchange with a raised eyebrow. "From what I've heard of this Toph-lady, I feel obliged to decline that offer; I think Korra has enough destructive potential at her disposal for the moment, I really don't want to add to that anytime soon. Calm bending sounds much better." He gave the Fire Lord a friendly nod: "It's good to have you here, Zuko. My house is yours." He glanced at the dining room, where Senna and Sokka were already buzzing around the table. "Why don't you join us for dinner?"

* * *

Zuko was lying in the guest bed that the family had prepared for him (nobody had had to be kicked out for that, thankfully) and was reading, relaxing from a very interesting day. He was only half paying attention to the words on the pages; his mind kept drifting back to his present surroundings. The dinner had been a pleasant affair: The Avatar, sadly, had been absent since she was indeed already sleeping (or supposed to be, as her father had added sarcastically), but her parents had more than made up for that; they made for excellent company. Tonraq seemed very humorous and down to earth, and Zuko was developing a certain respect for the man. Even his wife had loosened up after a little bit of awkwardness at the beginning and had been eager to tell stories of their daughter, giving the image of a playful little devil that one needed to watch out for. They were told in an adoring way, and from the way both of them were grinning, it was obvious that they were proud of her. His friends had confirmed some of the more hair-raising tales, with Sokka going so far as to say she was as mischievous as he had been in his youth, a compliment he very rarely bestowed on anyone. All around, it had been a very enjoyable and intimate dinner, by the end of which Zuko felt very much at home.

Afterwards, he had spent some time talking to the leader of the White Lotus company to get his impression of the girl, Korra. He was very much looking forward to meeting her: The man had been very critical of her, and often sounded rather indignant when he talked about her behavior, but even he had grudgingly admitted that she was a very special personality. And, in her way, likeable, if Zuko understood his grumbling correctly.

He blinked tiredly and turned his attention back to the book he had found on the bedside table. To his great surprise and delight, it had turned out to be an account of their group's past adventures (rich in detail, but somewhat exaggerated), the likes of which had spread almost immediately after the end of the war. Safe to say, he had found himself unable to put it down. It always made him a little nostalgic when he recalled that time, even though some of the oddities in the book had him chuckling.

The door opened and Senna came in with a tray of tea. She gave him a shy smile: "You're comfortable?" He nodded. "I didn't know which tea you liked best, so I made some of everything", she explained with an apologetic shrug as she placed the steaming cups on the bedside table.

Zuko nodded thankfully and took a sip. "You are very kind, thank you. It's safe to say, yours is the best tea I have tasted in a while."

She blushed. "That's nice of you to say."

He grinned: "Trust me; I am somewhat of an expert. This is exactly what I needed after an eventful day like this. Good way to calm the nerves."

Senna sighed: "If only that would work on little girls. Somehow, they seem to be immune to that effect." She was trying to look frustrated, but the smile that was stealing on her face belied it. "I can't wait for you to meet her. Korra is going to like you, I'm sure of it."

"I really hope so. From what I've heard, her not liking you can be pretty taxing", he joked.

She laughed quietly: "I don't think you need to worry, Firelord. Korra is a people person, she won't give you a hard time. Well, not much", she admitted after a little consideration.

"I'll be prepared."

Senna laughed again and made her way to the door. "It's good to have you here, Zuko. Have a good night."

"Good night."

* * *

He tried to focus on his reading, but his head was buzzing with too many thoughts, and the stories were soon getting rather ridiculous, so he put the book down after a while to lean back in the bed and close his eyes. The day had been a more interesting one than he could ever have anticipated, and now he was trying to put some order into all the new information he had received. _There really is a new Avatar_ , he told himself once again. He had never really thought about this inevitable event in earnest, before…

It was a confusing mix of joy, excitement and sadness.

He turned over on his left side and began to drift off into sleep. _They seem to be taking it rather well, all things considered_ …

Suddenly, he felt a tickling down his spine, as if he were being watched. He furrowed his brow and rose into a sitting position, yawning, and looked across the room. In his dreamy state, he didn't immediately react to what he saw: The door to the hallway was open and faint light was shining through. And in the middle of the doorway stood a very small figure. She had her arms crossed.

"You're new."

-At the sound of the remarkably sassy voice he was immediately fully awake again. He did not assume there to be many children in the house and that tone fit Tonraq's description perfectly. _That's_ … He blinked and commanded his eyes to focus. Then he blinked again. He had to remind himself that this was the Avatar standing before him. _I don't know what I expected, but_ … He stared at the little girl, taking in the rather comical sight that was standing before him: ill-fitting clothes, a tiny belly looking out beneath them, messy hair, puffy cheeks, lips sloped downward in a frown, hands rested on the hips. And deep blue eyes, staring him down, albeit rather sleepy. Her foot was tapping on the ground impatiently and Zuko realized that he should probably say something.

He caught himself and bowed his head: "Hello, little lady." He couldn't help but grin as a small pout materialized on her face. "I'm indeed new; your parents invited me to spend the night here." No need to confront her with the complexity of the situation at this time of the night.

The foot didn't stop its tapping: "There are too much people here. And I'm not little!"

The Fire Lord chuckled. He had trouble seeing her as anything more than a sleepy girl at the moment. "Little or not, shouldn't you be in bed? Your parents mentioned something like that…"

The girl yawned. "Can't sleep." The blue stare left him suddenly and darted to the bedside table. A small finger pointed: "That's my book you have there!" Before he could answer, she was standing beside the bed and grabbed it from the table. She pressed it close to her chest: "You can't read that! That's my story!"

Zuko stared at her in surprise. "I'm very sorry, I didn't know. It was not my intention to steal it from you." From what he had heard, he had not exactly expected the girl to be a reader. _And that story of all_ …He wondered if she knew that she was reading about her past life. Probably not. And neither did she recognize another of the protagonists…He grinned wickedly: "Actually, it's kind of mine as well…"

"Isn't! 'Tis my book, I found it."

He raised his hands in surrender: "You're right of course. I'm just being stupid. He gave her a smile: "It's a good story, too."

She nodded proudly: "Of course, it's my story."

Zuko couldn't stop the grin from spreading all over his face. She reminded him very much of his daughter at that age; the possessiveness at least was the same. Avatar or not, this he had some experience with. He raised a finger in feigned seriousness: "Just don't believe everything you read in there; it's a little- weird, sometimes."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him: "You sound like your white, too. Are you white?"

That left him somewhat lost. "Excuse me?"

"Are you white? You sound just like them, and daddy says they are white!" She pouted: "But they're not white! They look normal. Except the really old and bony ones; and they don't have much white anymore either. But then some of them are brown, too." She looked very confused.

It took Zuko a moment to realize what she was talking about. Then he broke out into loud laughter. Maybe it was the stark contrast to the aura of mysticism that the organization liked to cultivate, but this innocent comment cracked him up way more than it should have. He giggled on, only slowly managing to calm down.

The girl was looking at him in amusement. She shook her head: "No, you're not white. White guys don't laugh. You are funny, new man.", she decided, her lips curving upwards for a change.

He wiped laughing tears from his eyes. "That's a compliment I can easily return, little lady. You have just made my day." It suddenly dawned on him that he had not even introduced himself yet. He offered her his hand: "I'm Zuko. It's very nice to meet you."

The girl crossed her arms. "Only if you stop calling me 'little lady'! I'm not little. And I'm not a lady! ...I think." She puffed herself up: "I'm Korra, and I am the Avatar!", she declared pompously.

The Fire Lord chuckled and bowed his head again, with as much sincere respect as he could muster at such a declaration coming from a child's mouth (and with him still being seated in the bed, which made the whole bowing-business somewhat difficult). "Avatar Korra, it truly is an honor to meet you. I am your humble servant."

She gracefully accepted his offered hand and shook it. "Truly honor to meet you, Zuko." she replied in the same tone. Her eyes were gleaming with something that might have been amicability, or just plain mischief. The very next second, she suddenly gave a long yawn, and Zuko quickly looked to the clock on the wall. He cursed silently.

"As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I think we should both go to bed now. Your mother will kill me if she finds out that I have been keeping you up."

Korra gave a long yawn, suddenly looking a lot less avatarly, and crossed her arms. "I don't let her kill you. I like you." Nonetheless she nodded, stifling another yawn: "You sleep if you have to, I'm not tired." She padded the bookcase: " I want to read some more." She suddenly got an idea and her eyes narrowed: "And don't tell mother I do!" she pointed a threatening finger at him.

He made a gesture of surrender- again. This was becoming a habit way too fast. "I won't. I value my life." The girl nodded, satisfied, and Zuko sank back into the pillows.

On the doorstep, Korra stopped and looked him over once again. She cocked her head and thought for a moment, then: "Try sleeping on the other side sometime." She pointed to the left side of her face: "That looks weird."

The Firelord stared after her open-mouthed, but she had already left the room.

* * *

On the other side of the world, the chief of the Northern Water Tribe sat in his chambers, deep in meditation. He was facing the blank wall of the room, which, as most everything in here, was made of solid ice. It had the benefit that no sound ever intruded in this study, and neither did anything escape from here. Of course, it also didn't allow for any warmth: The temperature was barely above the freezing point. But the chief didn't mind. His face was relaxed and betrayed nothing of the troublesome thoughts that were going through his head.

He had been in here for a couple of hours, as he was wont to do, and had left orders not to be disturbed. Which was why, when the door behind him opened, he knew immediately who it was. His people would never be so insolent as to disturb him, and this visitor had a bad habit of surprising him unannounced. The light footsteps on the ice confirmed it: No one else he knew could move this silently. It vexed him more than he liked to admit.

He rose from his lotus position and turned around, a big smile plastered on his face: "Welcome my friend! Come, sit with me. Can I offer you some tea?". No matter what he thought of his visitors, he would always show them his hospitality.

The man who had intruded upon his meditation didn't respond. He looked rather ordinary in his worn out traveler's outfit, which seemed in urgent need of mending. His inconspicuous blank face, short stature and almost lazy posture further underlined this image. Which was exactly the effect he wanted. Only his steel-hard eyes betrayed that appearance and identified him as what he truly was: One of the most dangerous men on the planet.

He kept that unsettling gaze fixed on his host for a long moment. Finally, he shrugged in a way that seemed to signal approval, so the chief poured them both a cup and they sat down opposite each other. The chief nipped as his tea and looked at his opposite questioningly. "So, I take it your operation in Caldera is proceeding as planned? I heard that since you took charge, our contacts have grown much more confident in our cause." The question came out casually, but he studied the other man's expression carefully.

-The man put down his cup calmly and looked him straight in the eye: "We are doing fine. As you undoubtedly know, even though it is none of your business". His voice was soft, but not in a pleasant way. And, as ususal, it betrayed no emotion.

-A frown passed across the chief's face, but after a second the smile was back: "I like to keep myself informed. Especially about talented people like you and your group. I will never understand why you choose this secrecy, even among our own. You should realize…"

-His guest cut him off: "I have my reasons. And I doubt that you ordered me here from halfway across the world just to congratulate me on our success, so why don't you say what you want?"

-There it was again, this irritating bluntness. The chief resisted the urge to grind his teeth. He thoroughly regretted having to deal with this man, but unfortunately he was far too valuable an ally to pass on just because of his insolence. He forced a grin, which came out a little crooked. "To the point, as ever. Well, if you want to skip the formalities, I have a mission for you. An important one, much more important than anything you have done in your lives."

-The man sipped his tea. "The target?"

-The chief locked eyes with him, the smile vanishing: "The Avatar".

-The hand holding the tea cup froze hallway to the man's lips. His eyes widened, and his face lost its emotionless expression for the first time. He put down his cup slowly and stared at the waterbender: "Are you certain?"

-The chief held his gaze: "Our contact in the South is, and I trust her. She says it's a girl, four years old, obviously." He frowned: "Apparently she is already able to control earth, fire and water."

His opposite's eyes suddenly sparkled with something that the chief couldn't identify. "What about airbending?"

The waterbender scrutinized him sharply. He knew from his contacts that the man had shown interest in airbending before. He made a mental note to find out what that was about: Given how collected the man usually was, there had to be a history. One that he could exploit once he didn't need him anymore. For now, he kept his face expressionless: "Niu didn't say anything about airbending. Maybe the girl just hasn't shown it yet." He shrugged: "It doesn't matter; she will suit our purposes if she masters all the elements or not."

The man's face resumed its usual neutral expression: "Correct. If she really can't airbend, that just makes our job easier. What about security? Is she well protected?"

The chief's frown deepened: "Not as much as you would expect. There is the White Lotus, obviously, but so far no Grand Lotus seems to have taken an interest in her. They should be no match for you."

"It seems almost too easy. Where exactly does she live?"

-The chief kept his expression neutral: "A small cottage on the west side of the city. Her father is a waterbender, although not very proficient. Niu doesn't think the mother is a bender, but she isn't certain. Apparently, you don't need talent to father an Avatar…" He shook his head: "They shouldn't pose a problem to you."

The steel-grey eyes narrowed and scrutinized the chief, who realized his slip-up. Unalaq forced himself to maintain eye-contact, even though he couldn't shake the feeling like his opposite was reading him. _Those damn eyes, they see too much…_

"Alright. Not a problem", the man finally said, very slowly. With one last penetrating look, he stood up: "Tell Niu to meet me at the grove at sundown, I need more details", he commanded the chief. "And organize a ship to Republic City. We'll be heading out tomorrow." With that, he headed for the door.

Unalaq ground his teeth profusely. _You are lucky I need you. For now._ With a sudden movement, the waterbender raised his arms. The ice of the floor rose in response and blocked the exit, sealing the chamber. The man stopped in his tracks, standing very still. "You might think you are unstoppable", the chief snarled, "but even you will slip up some day. Failure is _not_ an option here.". He let that hang in the air for a moment, before waving his hands and melting the ice back into the floor. He gestured him to move along. "Don't forget it."

Zaheer's answer was quiet, without bothering to turn around: "It never is. But you wouldn't understand that, would you?" Without another word, he left the chamber.


	2. A New Mission

**A new mission**

* * *

Long, fast strides took Zaheer away from the chamber. It was not quite a run, but it was as fast as it needed to be to bring some distance between himself and the chief. _The Chief_. It was a testament to his self-control that an onlooker would have seen nothing of what went through his head. To the people in these hallways he was nothing more than another traveler. Only those who happened to glance at his eyes perhaps noticed something and half-consciously made way for him as he strode past.

Zaheer was not quick to be angered, but there were certain things that accomplished it without fail. The chief was one of them. But right now it would not do to dwell on his personal feelings towards his 'associate', as he preferred to call him. Not when this much was at stake. His friends needed to hear of this new development; they needed to make plans. Despite his loathing for the chief, the man was right in one regard: This might be their most important mission yet.

He had been expecting the call for some time now: It was inevitable that the new Avatar would surface, and just as inevitably his group would be the one tasked with bringing him- or her, as it turned out- in. And now she had been found. It was unfortunate that the call had to come from Unalak, but he would just have to make the best of it and be on his guard. But…In hindsight, who else should it have come from? Zaheer frowned: Unalak had been their group's unofficial head of intelligence for some time now; his position and connections to people all across the world practically recommended him to it. But he was entirely _too_ well informed for Zaheer's liking. Objectively, that was necessary to ensure that his group would not walk into a trap, and the chief's contacts had admittedly served them well enough in the past- but it did conjure up the image of a giant spider web, with Unalak at the centre; and Zaheer did not like how the threads were being moved.

Especially since in all of the chief's years of working with the Lotus, Zaheer had never quite understood his motivations for doing so. Unalak was spiritually gifted and possessed an undeniably strong intellect; talents which had led him to the same conclusions as lay at the core of the Lotus and which he willingly used to further their goals. And at the same time, he ruled over the largest northern realm, and not with a very soft hand if reports were true. Zaheer scoffed silently: he didn't need any report for that, he was noticing it first hand: the way people he talked to were just a touch too polite, the little glances whenever a guard uniform was in sight- even if it was just a pretense for the sake of his own disguise, Unalak's realm was the exact opposite of what the Lotus was striving to create.

He stopped his train of thought at this point. To go any further would mean to lose focus completely, and that was not desirable at the moment. There would be a time for these considerations once the Avatar was safely in their care.

Not only that, but he was now approaching their apartment, and his troubled thoughts were interrupted by a noise that did not fit them in the least: bright, high-pitched laughter. Zaheer halted in a rare moment of surprise. Unalak took a backseat for a moment as he listened more closely. Accompanying the laughter was a much more familiar sound; a deep baritone bellowing that seemed to shake the walls. On top of that, he could now make out a series of _cracks_ , which sounded suspiciously like small explosions.

His mask cracked in a small smile. Having a vague idea of what he was hearing, he quietly turned the corner and leaned on the doorframe so as to not disturb the scene.

His friends were spread out across the room. As always, his first look went to P'li: The tall woman was lying on the couch, her braid lazily thrown over her shoulder. As always, she looked beautiful; completely relaxed, smiling quietly. The thoughts of the Avatar and Unalaq were banished to the back of his head; that smile, that had been so spare in the beginning, made him smile too. As if she had sensed his presence, she suddenly turned her head to him. Her eyes lit up and the smile grew even brighter. Zaheer returned it. She grinned at him and, nodding at the rest of the party, rolled her eyes in embarrassment. Zaheer followed her gaze.

To a tall bearded man sitting on the ground, his back turned to the door. He was the source of the loud bellowing, which with some generosity might have been classified as laughter. He took no note of Zaheer, apparently too absorbed in what he was doing: In front of him floated a handful of pieces of molten rock; he was keeping them in the air with his left hand, while the right constantly formed new ones out of a (once perhaps beautiful, but now very eroded looking) marble engraving next to him. His hand was making circular motions, ever so often interrupting them to change course, making the rocks spin and dart in every possible direction. It was quite dizzying to watch. While Zaheer did so, one of them was suddenly hit by a thin stream of water and tumbled to the ground, steaming and cooling off, immediately followed by a loud cheer.

The origin of said cheer- and the next stream of water, which narrowly missed the rocks- was standing in front of the man. Her eyes, looking out between strands of black hair, were following the spinning rocks in concentration, while her mouth was grinning broadly. Even with the man kneeling, they were barely of a height; she could not have been more than four or five years old. That however didn't seem to stop her from shooting projectile after projectile at the floating rocks, jumping with joy every time she hit. Judging by the pile of stones on the ground, they must have been doing that for a while. And in the few seconds that he watched, she was getting more confident; at one point releasing three streams of water at once, two of which hit their mark. The earthbender roared in feigned anger and immediately added five more rocks to the mix, which the girl met with a challenging smirk and even faster water attacks.

Zaheer couldn't help grinning at the silliness of it all. _I leave them alone for five minutes and this is what happens_. The two seemed to be quite absorbed with what they were doing, so he was in no hurry of interrupting them. Well, not yet anyway. His eyes tore away from them and focused on the next piece of this strange scene he had returned to:

A second girl, looking like an identical copy of the first, was sitting a little further back in a small puddle of melted ice. She was not laughing; in fact, if that was possibly, she seemed to be in even deeper concentration than her twin. She wore a determined expression, concentrating on forming the water at her feet into small waves, making them crash against a tiny ice tower in front of her. From the enthusiasm with which she swung her arms, she seemed to want to wash it to the other side of the room.

The tower seemed to be refusing to be washed away, however, and there was a thin line of water running out the back of it that didn't seem to belong to the girl. Zaheer's eyes followed its snaking path along the ground, until he reached a thin shoulder and an amazingly grumpy looking face: Ming-Hua, the fourth member of their little group lay on the floor, looking like the absolute definition of boredom: She was keeping her tower up with one 'hand' against the girl's admirable efforts, her other arm moving around independently as if it didn't know what to do with its time.

 _The deadliest force the Red Lotus has to offer. It's not like we have a reputation to maintain._

Then Ming Hua suddenly looked up and noticed him standing there. She grunted: "Great. Why in the Spirits' name do you have to be so quiet?!" The neglected ice tower collapsed under a particularly strong wave. She purposefully ignored the girl's triumphant yell: "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to watch me getting humiliated; I'm guessing." Ghazan answered in his gruff voice as he turned around. His mustache was dripping, but he was still looking more amused than humiliated. The two children gave each other a very smug grin.

Zaheer smiled: "Apologies for interrupting your beating my friends. I was just wondering if I could have a few private words with them?"

The grins vanished very suddenly. The two girls stood straight and clasped their hands neatly behind their backs, suddenly looking anxious. The one with the bright laughter stared at the stranger, fidgeting uncomfortably. Then she burst out: "You won't tell daddy, will you?"

"Tell him what?"

"Don't worry." P'li spoke up in a soft tone of voice. "He won't hear anything from us." She smiled: "Promise."

The girls shot her a thankful look. They made a quick bow towards Zaheer and then hastened to the door. One hesitated for a second and waved, and then they were gone.

Zaheer didn't know what to make of that sudden change. "What was that about?" He noticed that Ghazan was no longer smiling. "What's the matter?"

The earthbender ground his teeth audibly: "I'd like to have a word with that father of theirs, if you don't mind." He glanced at P'li, who nodded. Ming-Hua just shrugged and twirled her arm.

"Why?"

"Because," P'li answered, taking his hand, "those two are the most conditioned children I've ever seen, by a log shot; and I think it's pretty obvious who's to blame for that: You saw how frightened they were at the very thought that daddy might find out what they did."

"From what I saw they have been playing, as children tend to do; I don't quite see the why that should be punishable." He thought for a moment: "Unless the problem is who they've been playing with. Why were they here in the first place?"

"Not out of free will, that's certain. I'm guessing daddy sent them."

"Ah. And who would that daddy of theirs be?"

"Take a guess."

Seeing the disgust on her face, it finally clicked. Zaheer looked to the doorway, where the girls had vanished a minute ago. Of course. He didn't know whether to be amused or angry. P'li seemed to be going with the latter. "I see. Did they ask anything specific?"

"Oh, this and that. And _so_ polite as well. They had gotten as far as what we think of you and whether you're a good leader, when Ghazan started dismantling that lovely carving. That caught their honest interest, I think…"

"You know how they came in here?" the earthbender burst out. He had started on the thing again, now simply crushing it without any fancy. "They bowed and asked us if we were comfortable, if we needed anything!" There was an audible crack. "What kind of children act like that?!"

"Well", Ming-Hua, who had so far seemed disinterested in the whole affair, chimed in sweetly, "good manners just come naturally to some people. And then, on the other hand, there's you…"

Ghazan grimaced: "I like you too Ming-Hua. But come on, are you really gonna call that natural? They are five years old, for crying out loud!"

"Agreed." P'li said, looking meaningfully at Zaheer, "They were far too polite. Even with a firework of molten rock it took a while before they started to behave like actual children. And we are talking Ghazan here, usually the little ones start laughing after one silly face of his!"

That drew an indignant huff: "What's with everyone handing out compliments today?"

"I'm glad you were able to show them the errors of their ways, at least." Zaheer clasped the earthbender's shoulder: "But as much as I'd like to see you talk some sense into Unalak, I'm afraid you will have to be patient with that. Turns out he didn't call us here out of spite after all."

"I was afraid you'd say that. It better be a good reason, or I might just decide that this palace could use some further redecorating."

"You can redecorate the door, for a start. I don't want anyone overhearing this. I don't think there's a person in this palace who reports to anyone other than our acclaimed chief, but better safe than sorry."

"Always the careful planner." Ming-Hua teased while Ghazan went to work. "In that context, I think I should inform you that the ice above our heads was riddled with holes that would have made it impossible for anyone upstairs not to hear what happens down here. Terrible craftsmanship, really."

"And I think I can trust you're using the past tense for a reason?"

"You can."

They sat down next to the deformed carving. "Well?" P'li inquired once Ghazan joined them, "What is the matter? What did he tell you?"

Zaheer leant forward: "Something important." He spoke carefully: "This is really not a trifle. Unalak expressed that it would be our most important mission yet, and for once I'm inclined to agree with him."

Ming-Hua whistled: "It must be extremely serious, then."

Zaheer nodded. He surveyed his little group; Ming-Hua, expectant, with a sarcastic sparkle in her eye; Ghazan, with anger still right behind the quiet attentiveness; P'li, suddenly anxious, perhaps already suspecting it. He would trust any one of them with his life. _For the most important task of a lifetime, you couldn't ask for better than these three at your back._

"It's the Avatar. They've found her."

Silence followed. In their initial surprise the group first looked at each other, then back at Zaheer, who simply nodded. As understanding of the weight of this news settled in, he observed in them a range of emotions, from anxiousness to triumph. But one dominated everything: pride.

"And they want us to bring her in." P'li said softly, catching her friend's eye. Zaheer smiled, and she returned it, a small laugh loosening from her lips.

"'Course they do!" Ming-Hua exclaimed, a grin overspreading her features. "Who else could we trust to not muck it up?"

Ghazan said nothing, but was absentmindedly bending the nearest pebbles along the ground. His expression was unusually somber, somewhere between consideration and excitement. Then he looked up: "Who?"

"Southern Watertribe, a girl. I'm getting the specifics from one of Unalak's spies later. We'll be on our way immediately." As he said the words, Zaheer for the first time felt it too; the rush of excitement that came with the view of their major goal finally being within reach. He told himself to take it slow; they had to be careful. But as he looked at his friends' glowing faces, despite his caution, he found it difficult to imagine what would be able to stop them.

Ming-Hua rose. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked around, her eyes sparkling. "Let's go get ourselves an Avatar!"

P'li rolled her eyes, but got to her feet as well. Zaheer followed suit. They had no reason to stay any longer. "Don't repeat that in the corridors, please." he reminded Ming-Hua. "We can celebrate once we actually have her; until then, silence, please."

"Spoilsport." the waterbender complained. P'li grinned. Ghazan re-opened the entrance, perhaps a little too enthusiastically and she left first, a spring in her step. She was not the only one: As they walked down the hallways, there was a general feeling of elation between them; the goal they were working towards seemed a significant step closer. Even the sight of Unalak's spies surveying them at every corner couldn't quite spoil Zaheer's mood, it enhanced it, really. He fell in step with P'li and whispered: "I think once we've done it, I'll consider turning a blind eye to Ghazan, if he still wants to let off some steam in here."

She looked amused: "Is that unprofessional spite that I hear? You must be really certain that we'll manage to take her if you let yourself go like this."

He smiled: "As certain as I've ever been about anything. I believe in us, and you all do as well; even Unalak does, hate it as he may."

"You can be so inspiring sometimes." Her braid flung from side to side as she took note of the people that were still watching them, even now they'd left the palace behind. She spit in their direction. "I really don't know what he was thinking, sending his own children to spy on us. Every time I think there's no way he can disgust me more, this sick greed for control just comes up again. It bugs me that we're relying on that- _man_ like this."

"You know my opinion." Zaheer replied. "But the good news is that he seems to be overestimating his powers of control. I wonder what the two girls would have told you if I hadn't interrupted you…" He noticed P'li grinning at him: "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that one of them is a boy." the tall woman explained, a smug grin dancing on her lips. "I'll let you figure out which." She laughed: "It took us quite a while!"

"Really?" Zaheer thought back, but could still not see a difference. Interesting. He laughed coarsely: "There's one thing that could spoil our endeavor. Let's just hope the Avatar doesn't have an identical twin, otherwise we'll be the laughing stock of the entire Lotus!"

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End file.
